Why I Hired the Fake Steve Jobs

HubSpot is currently hiring about 30 people a month, so normally a new hire isn't news. But the latest addition to our marketing team is: the remarkable Dan Lyons. The writer and editor formerly known as "The Fake Steve Jobs" will be joining our inbound marketing team from his current role as Editor-in-Chief of ReadWrite.

To me, this news is very exciting for HubSpot because we’ll benefit from having a highly-acclaimed journalist as part of a stellar marketing team. But equally as important, Dan’s arrival is an indicator of a broader paradigm shift in the world of marketing and illustrative of the drastic changes happening in the universe of advertising, marketing, and media.

Simply put, the advertising revenue stream that used to support traditional journalism is trending sharply downward. And with consumers tapping into even more tools to block out and avoid advertising, the downward spiral is only growing. This is why Dan was interested in getting out of the media industry and working for a software company.

How consumers digest information is changing, too.

Our parents' generation got their news -- current events, product, and business news alike -- from the daily paper, and did product research by talking to sales reps. When we look for a restaurant to eat at, a car to test drive, or a stroller to purchase, we pick up our mobile phones, tablets, or laptops. A quick Google search can deliver a wide range of options, reviews, and insights, and a social inquiry via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or LinkedIn can generate information from your closest friends or colleagues on the latest, greatest, and most favorited options out there. To that end, your customers fully expect your company to be easy to find and easy to do business with, on their own terms.

Provide value to your customers. Be helpful. Become the best publication and information source in your industry. This is the core of inbound marketing. At HubSpot, we posted 937 blog entries and published 157 ebooks and offers in 2012 alone. But it's not just about quantity; it's also about quality. We want HubSpot to be the absolute best resource for all marketing professionals in the world. Hiring Dan, a world class journalist (who is also darn funny), is another step along that path. And for the same reason, Dan knows the future for someone like him is in working at a company that values inbound marketing.

PS: If you are a world class marketing thought leader ... I’m still hiring! Tweet me, maybe? (@mvolpe)

Good post, Mike, but I think the headline should be "Why the Fake Steve Jobs chose HubSpot." All the data says that the best options for talented journalists have shifted from traditional publications to content marketing. Making HubSpot a beacon it wouldn't have been 10 years ago.

The way I put it is that I want to be the Wikipedia of my niche. I know, not everyone cares for Wikipedia; but none-the-less the are a recognized resource of information online. The only difference between me and them is that I'm niched to a specific topic rather than taking on the entire world.

Some of my most treasured podcasting moments are co-hosting Double D Guys with Master Lyons. He's an incredible bloke - I'd want him as much as a treasured and eccentric uncle as a peer in this world we call publishing.

This is a fabulous move from HubSpot. A very clever move. And now you've really got me hooked.

I'm curious to hear Dan's words about why he thought Hubspot was the right move for him. I'm sure there is overlap with why you thought he was right for you, but his words on this would be interesting. Perhaps the next blog post?

Dan Lyons is one class act. When he published his book, Options, I wrote a post about it -- and long story short, Dan ended up meeting me for lunch. My son read his book and loved it -- so Dan met him for lunch too (when my son was about 12).
Kudos to HubSpot and Dan -- should be a great union.